BERLIN, March 10 (Reuters) - German imports soared more than expected in January, outperforming an also surprisingly strong rise in exports, and the wider current account surplus of Europe's biggest economy fell sharply, data showed on Friday.

Seasonally adjusted imports rose by 3.0 percent on the month, while exports increased by 2.7 percent, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed on Friday.

A Reuters poll had pointed to exports rising by 1.85 percent and imports posting a 0.5 percent increase.

The seasonally adjusted trade surplus edged up to 18.5 billion euros from 18.3 billion euros in December. The January reading was above the Reuters consensus forecast of 18.0 billion euros.

The wider current account surplus plunged to 12.8 billion euros after a revised 24.8 billion euros in December, the data showed. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber,; Editing by Michelle Martin)